Tooth shapes – Hand saws

4 main tooth shapes are available on the market.

Fleam teeth

Fleam teeth are cross-sharpened to produce sharp points for cutting across the grain. Because they are symmetrical, the teeth will cut equally well on the push and pull strokes when sawing. This type of cross cutting is the most common type of useage for a hand saw and probably represents 90% of all sawing jobs.

Universal teeth

As the name reveals, the universal toothing has certain versitality. A universal toothed saw both cuts and rips well, but as it is a mix of two types it only works on push strokes. Universal toothing is suitable for allround to fine carpentry. Compass-, veneer- and back saws are usually also universal toothed.

Group teeth

Group toothing is very common on saws used for rough cutting of wood, for example in the building industri while building forms for cement foundery, but also for quick cutting in particle boards and other rough materials. The teeth are divided into groups with an extra distance between the teeth and the groups, which helps the saw dust to be removed from the kerf. One other advantage with the group toothing is that it reduces vibrations.

3-edge teeth

In the past few years, a new type of toothing has been developed, the so called Japanese toothing or 3-edge toothing as we call it. It was invented in Japan. The advantage with this type of toothing is that it cuts efficiently and leaves a very clean cut. This type of toothing is therefore well suited for pruning but also fine carpentry work.